James s



(No Model.)

J. S. KERN. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 432,051. Patented July 15, 1890.

A TTOR/VEY THE "cams PETERS co., Fnnw-u-mm, wAsHm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. KERN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES L. BRANSON, OF SAME PLACE.

ClRCULAR-KNlTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 432,051, dated July 15, 1890.

Application filed January 21, 1889. Serial No. 296,982. (No model.)

-To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. KERN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Ma chines, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which-- Figure l is an elevation on a flat plane of the cams of a knitting-machine in which my invention is embodied, the rotatable supporting-cylinder being represented in dotted outline. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of r 5 the cam-cylinder with my invention applied thereto. Figs. 3 and 4 are end and front views, respectively, of the ,guard-cam and its 0011- neetions as detached from the machine. Fig.

5 is an illustrative view of the operation of v the end of the upper cam of a circular-knit ting machine from striking againsta needle or needles and consequently breaking the latter or the needle-cylinder, or both, in case said needle or needles should happen, by accident or otherwise, to be above the mouth of the 0 cam-groove during the operation of the machineas, for instance, upon failure of the operator to properly depress or raise the needleswhileknitting the heel and toe parts of a stocking or other hosiery.

3 5 Theinvention consists in a novel construe tion and arrangement of the guard-cam and in certain details, which will be hereinafter fully described and duly claimed.

In the annexed drawings, A is therotatable o cam-cylinder, B its cams, and G the needlerest. These parts are constructed and opererate in the same manner as the like parts in the well-known Branson knitting-machine, which is shown and described in various Letters Patent of the United States, among others in No. 214,989, dated May 6, 1879.

D is the guard-cam. It is triangular in form, and is secured atone of its corners d to a pivot pin or shaft (Z which projects through the side of the cam-cylinder adjacent to and below the end of the upper cam 12, as shown. This shaft, which is mounted in a bed-plate (P, that is screwed or otherwise firmly secured to the exterior of cylinder A, has formed or attached to its outer end a head or collar (1, between which and the plate (Z is interposed a spring (Ii-preferably spiral. The ends of this spring are inserted within, or in some other suitable manner rigidly connected with, the plate (Z and collar (Z respect- 6o ively, so that the torsional action of the spring will normally throw the guard earn away from the end of cam Z). Extending from the shaft 61 ,01 rather from its collar (Z ,is an arm (Z which, in conjunction with a projecting 65 stud or pin (1 against which it abuts, limits the movement of the cam and prevents its forward nose or corner 61 from being turned below the pivotal point (1'.

Having thus described the construction of the device, I shall now explain its modus 0percmdz', which is as follows: As the cam-cylinderis being rapidly rotated in the direction of the arrow marked 1, if the heel h,Fig. 5,0f a needle happen, by accident or otherwise, to be above the mouth of the cam-groove 00, one of the inclined edges of the cam D or its nose (1 will strike said heel, and accordingly direct the latter above or below the end of the upper cam without damage to the needle or the machine. If the nose d of the cam come into contact with the heel of the needle, it (said nose) will be forced back against the action of the spring d, and thus guide the heel of the needle to the inclined upper end of the cam Z), as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. Should the needle-heel strike the upper edge of the guard-cam the needle will be deflected upward and above the end of cam b; and, on the other hand, if said 0 heel shall strike the lower edge of the guardcam the needle will be directed thereby to the mouth of the cam-groove as.

A guard-cam similar in construction to the one above described, and operating in a like 5 manner and for a like purpose, is pivoted with respect to the other end of cam 12, said duplicate cam being brought into action when the motion of the cam-cylinder is reversed during the operation of knitting the heel or too parts of a stocking, 65c.

I sometimes provide the collar (1 on the end of the pivot-shaft of the guard-cam with a projection c, Fig. 6, which will abut against the pin (Z and thus check the movement of said cam when the nose of the latter has been turned by the needle or needles to the end of the upper cam. By this construction, should the spring become broken or too weak to return the cam to its normal position, the nose of said cam will be prevented from dropping down below the upper cam and interfering with the needles. I

I claim as new and wish to secure by Let tiers Patent 1. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the cam-cylinder, of the guard-cam pivoted in the side of said cylinder at a point adjacent to and below the end of the upper cam, so that when the forward point or nose of said cam engages with a needle the cam will swing or turn until said forward point or nose is carried to ornear to said end, thereby permitting the needle to pass onto the upper surface of the upper cam, substantially as described, the outwardly-extending pivot pin or shaft, and means, such as the spring, connected with said shaft and operating to normally hold the nose of the guard-cam away from the end of the upper cam, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the cam-cylinder, of the guard-cam pivoted in the side of said cylinder at a point adjacent to and below the end of the upper cam, so that when the forward point or nose of said cam engages with a needle the cam will swing or turn until said forward point or nose is carried to or near to said end, thereby permitting the needle to pass onto the upper surface of the upper cam, substantially as described, the outwardly-extending pivot pin or shaft, and means, such as the spring, connected with said shaft and operating to normally hold the nose of the guard-cam away from the end of the upper cam, together with the stop device for limiting the backward movement of said guard-cam, substantially as and for the purpose set'forth.

3. The combination, with a knitting-ma,

chine-cam cylinder, of the guard-cam pivoted in the side of said cylinder at a point below and adjacent to the end of the upper cam, the outwardly-extending pivot pin or shaft, the arm d connected therewith, the fixed stud disposed in the path of said arm, and the spring, all combined, constructed, and adapted to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the plate 61 the pivotpin 01 the triangular cam D on one end thereof, the head or collar d on its opposite end, the spring diinterposed between and rigidly connected with said plate and head, the arm d, extending from the latter, and the stud (1 extending from the plate in the path of said arm, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 22d day of December, A. D. 1888.

JAMES S. KERN.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. T. SHAW, C. O. TEESE. 

